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GLOBAL: FIRST / TIME : PM unveils World’s 1st Vedic Clock in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Opens Rs 17K cr projects in MP

Virtually inaugurating the first-of-its-kind Vedic clock, the PM said, “This proves that our government works on vikas (development) and virasat (heritage) simultaneously.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually inaugurated the world’s first Vedic clock installed on an 85-ft high tower at the Jantar Mantar in Madhya Pradesh’s religious city Ujjain.

The clock will display time according to ancient Vedic Hindu panchang (almanac). Besides planetary positions, muhurat, astrological calculations, and predictions, the clock will also display the Indian Standard Time (IST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and operate on the time system based on one sunrise to another.

Virtually inaugurating the first-of-its-kind Vedic clock, the PM said, “This proves that our government works on vikas (development) and virasat (heritage) simultaneously. The city of Baba Mahakal (Ujjain) was once the centre of time calculation, but its importance was forgotten. Now we’ve established the world’s first Vikramaditya Vedic clock. It will not just render an opportunity to remember our rich heritage, but will also be witness to that Kalchakra (time cycle) which will turn India into a developed nation.”

PM Modi also launched the Cyber Tehsil system for all 55 districts to help in land related issues.

As part of unveiling and laying foundation of development projects across the country ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the PM virtually unveiled and laid foundation stone of 37 development projects worth Rs 17,500 crore in MP at the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Madhya Pradesh’ which was attended by 15 lakh people across 200 locations in the state.

The projects pertained to variegated sectors, including irrigation, power, rail, road, water supply, coal, industry, among others. Addressing virtually the mega event which was attended by MP Governor Mangubhai C Patel, CM Mohan Yadav, his cabinet colleagues and state BJP chief VD Sharma at Bhopal’s Lal Parade Ground, the PM said, “Currently there is just one slogan ‘Abki Baar 400 Paar’ all around.

This isn’t BJP’s slogan, but actually a slogan given by the people of the country. For the first time, the people of the country are popularizing a slogan for the return of their loved and trusted government again.” “We’re not contesting polls just to form our government for the third time, but to form the government the third time to make India the world’s third largest economy.” Reaching out to the youth and first time voters, Modi said, “I assure the youth, that the BJP government will leave no stone unturned for creating opportunities for them.”

‘Vedic Hindu almanac’

The clock will display time according to ancient Vedic Hindu panchang (almanac). Besides planetary positions, muhurat, astrological calculations, and predictions, the clock will also display the Indian Standard Time (IST) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and operate on the time system based on one sunrise to another.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited0

NATIONAL: SCIENCE / GENOME: Scientists complete project to Sequence Genomes of 10,000 Indians in hope of tailored medicines

Consortium of scientists from 20 research institutions was engaged in project funded by department of biotechnology, and aimed at genome sequencing 10,000 representative Indians from across country.

Scientists have completed a project to sequence the genomes of 10,000 Indians to build a database that could provide fresh insights into links between genes and health and fuel advances towards personalised precision medicine.

The Indian project — similar to sequencing efforts in other countries — might help pinpoint potentially deleterious genetic mutations associated with specific diseases and provide clues that could be used to develop preventive health strategies or therapy tailored for specific individuals, project scientists have said.

A consortium of scientists from 20 research institutions was engaged in the project funded by the department of biotechnology (DBT), a unit of the Union science ministry, and aimed at genome sequencing 10,000 representative Indians from across the country.

“We have in India more than 4,600 anthropologically well-defined population groups — a diversity of genomes marked by multiple migrations as well as intermixing,” said K. Thangaraj, a scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, a joint coordinator of the project.

“Only a large sequencing project can meaningfully capture the diversity in our population,” said Thangaraj whose study more than 15 years ago had established that the tribes in the Andaman islands are the descendants of modern humans who trudged out of Africa some 65,000 years ago.

The 10,000 genome sequencing effort will provide “a refence genetic database” for Indian populations that can serve as a detailed catalogue of genetic variations found in India, said Y. Narahari, the project’s joint coordinator in the Centre for Brain Science at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Preliminary findings from the project include a catalogue of 135 million genetic variants identified in a set of 5,750 genome samples, the discovery of disease-specific genetic variants that appear to influence the risk of high cholesterol, several cancers and certain heart diseases, Narahari said.

The project has also helped medical researchers identify genetic variants that are associated with resistance or ineffectiveness of certain medicines such as anti-coagulant drugs and anti-viral drugs. Such findings could in future guide doctors into tailoring treatment according to a person’s genetic makeup.

The catalogue of genetic variants may serve as a starting point for expanding precision medicine in the country, according to a document outlining possible outcomes of the 10,000 genome project. Links between specific gene variants and susceptibility to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular conditions may be used to guide individuals into reducing their risk of disease.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SEMI-CONDUCTORS: Cabinet approves 03 Semiconductor proposals in Gujarat, Assam

One of the facilities is a fabrication unit — as opposed to a packaging or assembly unit — and will make 50,000 ‘wafer starts’ a day.

The Union Cabinet on February 29 approved three semiconductor proposals amounting to ₹1,25,600 crore in value in Dholera and Sanand in Gujarat, and in Morigaon in Assam. The Dholera and Morigaon facilities will be built by Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd. and Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd. The former will be a full-fledged fabrication unit producing 50,000 ‘wafer starts,’ the initial form of silicon chips, per month.

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation of Taiwan will be the technology partner for the fab unit, while the assembly and testing unit in Morigaon’s technology partners have been kept confidential at their request, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.

The Dholera units will be used to make “high performance compute chips with 28 nanometre technology,” and also to make chips for power management, which Mr. Vaishnaw said accounted for a large part of semiconductor demand. Both facilities’ output will cater to domestic demand as well as export their produced chips, Mr. Vaishnaw said.

Construction will start within 100 days, he added, hoping that the work is done well before the standard 5 year timeline for such facilities. The chip assembly facility by Micron, announced last year, is on track to have its first chip produced by December 2024, Mr. Vaishnaw said. The facilities announced on Thursday will create 20,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs, the IT Ministry estimated in a note.

The facility in Sanand will also be a packaging unit, set up by CG Power with technology from the Renesas Electronics Corporation of Japan and Stars Microelectronics of Thailand.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited0

India-born Economist Geeta Batra Named As First Woman Director of World Bank’s GEF

Geeta Batra, a distinguished India-born economist, has been appointed as the Director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF). This historic appointment makes her the first woman from a developing country to hold this prestigious position. 

Currently serving as the Chief Evaluator & Deputy Director for Evaluation at the GEF’s Independent Evaluation Office (IEO), affiliated with the World Bank, Batra’s nomination for the role received unanimous approval during the 66th GEF Council Meeting in Washington on February 9.

Geeta Batra, aged 57, outlined her top priorities, emphasizing the delivery of sound evaluative evidence on GEF’s results and performance, leadership to keep the GEF IEO at the forefront of environmental evaluation, and the strengthening of IEO teams through skill development. 

Her role will also involve building partnerships with multilateral and bilateral agencies, foundations, and networks, sharing knowledge on effective environmental strategies.

Born in New Delhi, Batra pursued her education in Mumbai and Chennai, completing her Economics degree and an MBA in Finance.

Inspired by her professor, Harkant Mankad, she pursued a Ph.D. in Economics in the United States. After working in various roles, including Senior Manager, Risk, at American Express and serving at the World Bank’s Private Sector Development Department, she joined the GEF’s IEO in 2015.

The GEF has been a significant player in the environmental sector since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, providing substantial grants and co-financing for projects addressing global environmental concerns. Geeta Batra’s appointment signifies a major milestone, reflecting her extensive experience and commitment to environmental evaluation.

With IANS Inputs

source/content: indiatimes.com (headline edited)